{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T12:52:40Z","timestamp":1791204760533,"version":"4.2.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Mediterranean Publications and Research International","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791158400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BJMSE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Nigeria confronts a paradoxical developmental challenge: vast territories beyond effective state control coexist with one of Africa's fastest rates of artificial intelligence adoption. This paper examines the intersection of ungoverned spaces, labour mobility, and AI-driven economic transformation in Nigeria. Drawing on theories of fragmented governance, labour market segmentation, and technological disruption, the study argues that ungoverned spaces function not merely as zones of state absence but as distinct labour ecosystems characterised by informal economic activity, constrained mobility, and alternative governance arrangements. The paper further contends that AI simultaneously presents opportunities for overcoming spatial barriers to employment and risks exacerbating existing inequalities between governed and ungoverned territories. Through a mixed-methods framework integrating spatial analysis, policy review, and secondary data examination, the study finds that Nigeria's highly informal labour market with 93 percent of workers outside formal structures intersects with ungoverned spaces to produce distinctive mobility patterns and employment outcomes. The paper concludes by proposing a governance framework that leverages AI to enhance job matching, skills development, and economic integration across Nigeria's fragmented spatial and labour landscape.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.70382\/bejmse.v13i7.089","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T12:09:10Z","timestamp":1791202150000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, STATE CAPACITY AND EMPLOYMENT MOBILITY IN NIGERIAN\u2019S UNGOVERNED SPACES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE"],"prefix":"10.70382","author":[{"family":"ZEKERI SUNDAY","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"family":"ABUBAKAR ISAH","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"48563","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"container-title":["Journal of Management Science and Entrepreneurship"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/berkeleypublications.com\/bjmse\/article\/download\/926\/824","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/berkeleypublications.com\/bjmse\/article\/download\/926\/824","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T12:09:11Z","timestamp":1791202151000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/berkeleypublications.com\/bjmse\/article\/view\/926"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.70382\/bejmse.v13i7.089","relation":{},"ISSN":["3027-0871","3026-9121"],"issn-type":[{"value":"3027-0871","type":"electronic"},{"value":"3026-9121","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]}}}